Posted: Wed, Nov 17, 2004, 8:54 PM ET (0154 GMT)
NASA delayed the launch of an astronomy satellite Wednesday because of a problem with the spacecraft's launch vehicle. The Swift spacecraft was scheduled to lift off Wednesday at 12:09 pm EST (1709 GMT) from Cape Canaveral, Florida, atop a Delta 2 booster. However, NASA announced several hours before the scheduled launch time that the launch had been delayed at least 24 hours because of problems with equipment on the launch vehicle that receive and decode range commands. The launch has been tentatively rescheduled for the same time on Thursday, although a final decision on a new launch time will not be made until Wednesday evening. Swift's mission is to detect gamma-ray bursts, reorientating itself to study those bursts with its onboard telescopes within seconds of their detection.

Related Links:

•  AP article
•  Orlando Sentinel article
•  Penn State University release
•  NASA/KSC press release